12.28.2012

Made | Buttermilk biscuits are my favorite

One of the main things I miss about living in the South is the food. Let's be honest. In Massachusetts, when you go to a restaurant that serves southern food, it's always glammed up and expensive. You can't get chicken and waffles without some kind of herbs in the syrup. Still, I can't keep myself from ordering biscuits & gravy in search of a little taste of home. It seems, however, that I'll just have to learn how to make them myself; this search can get expensive. To be fair, I've had some amazing biscuits at Sweet Cheeks in Fenway and the huge biscuit at Island Creek Oyster House in Kenmore blew my mind. I still dream about that thing. I'll be making this biscuits & gravy recipe when we get back from the holidays. Until then, this is the recipe I used for these babies. They were the closest I've come to actual biscuits from scratch, and it seems the trick is handling the dough as little as possible.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.3. If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.4. Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.5. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet. Turn the dough out onto a floured board.6. Gently, gently PAT (don't use a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.7. You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.8. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other. If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.9. Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom. Do not overbake.